City Clerk Rachel Ford will present the final election results for the current city council before formally swearing in the new council and mayor.

The night calls for the nomination and selection of a new Vice Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem by the city council to serve two-year terms.

The City Council chooses from among its members who will serve in the roles, but neither position holds more weight than any other council member.

In addition to the swearing in the new city officials, presentations will be made for the three outgoing candidates. For Carter and Morgan, it closes the door on 16 years of service on the city council, and for Taylor, four years.

Taylor stated in an email to the city clerk he will not be present at the council meeting, citing work-related reasons. However, he has arranged to call in from Lexington Park, Md.

Other presentations include Ridgecrest Police Chief Ron Strand presenting a merit award to RPD Sgt. Justin Dampier for exceptional service and a presentation on the Kern Council of Government’s Energy Plan.

The bulk of the consent calendar items, to be approved in bulk by the city council without discussion, involve a number of resolutions to approve contracts and receive and comment on a non-housing due diligence report prepared by accounting firm Pun and McGeady, LLP.

Three of the contract items involve state-funded Safe Routes to School (Safe Routes) projects the city has received grants for projects to improve safe access to schools in Ridgecrest.

City staff is recommending that a construction contract be awarded to Cen-Cal for $245,637 to move forward on improvements for South Warner Street from South Upjohn Avenue to West Church Avenue, the north side of West Church Avenue from South Sunset Street to South Norma Street and West Church Avenue from South Norma Street to South Warner Street.

Cen-Cal provided the lowest of two bids after they were reviewed by the city’s engineering consultant Wildan Engineering.

The other two resolutions include recommending approval of two construction management contracts between the city and Wildan regarding the Safe Routes projects. The Safe Routes Cycle 8 contract will be awarded for $24,530.00 from a project account set up in 2009.

Wildan’s Safe Routes Cycle 9 construction management contract would be $24,530.00, available from a project account set up in 2011 by Traffic Impact Fees.

Page 2 of 2 - The city council would also be recommended to approve a contract with environmental firm LSA & Associates to conduct a environmental reevaluation prior to the city breaking ground on the West Ridgecrest Boulevard project in the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The contract would cost $117,560, budgeted from the Public Works Budget.

The Ridgecrest Boulevard project is slated to receive a Federal Transportation Improvement Program grant through KernCOG in the 2013-14 fiscal year.

Discussion items include a public hearing and approval regarding the Kern County Development Block Grant program.

The public hearing will solicit public input on city staff’s recommendation for a design phase to help move forward on plans to improve “low to moderate income families that live within the areas and also throughout our community that need new pedestrian facilities to meet ADA requirements,” according to a staff report.

Interim City Manager Dennis Speer will also present an update on the city’s budget and ask for approval to adjustments in the FY 2013 budget for items that were not considered in the original draft.

The city council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at City Hall.